In nature most animals seem to play. If nature is inexorably locked in a battle for the survival of the fittest, where did playing come from? Researchers have been puzzling over this for a long time.
Questions such as,"What exactly does play do for a young animal, or "Does play really do anything to help a young or old animal become a fitter survivor, especially considering the energy and risk that it involves?"
If animals play for enjoyment and not to enhance their survival then researchers still do not have an answer to their evolutionarily-biased question. If indeed animals play just to be silly, then Darwinism is at a loss to explain the behavior's origin. If animals have evolved by purely natural forces, then every creature's behavior and features should be purely pragmatic. In other words,fun does not fit this formula.
The answer is not easily answered, but one thing is for certain - that animals experience playtime with the same amount of enjoyment as do humans.
The video below shows a sheep playing with a dog and both are having a great time chasing each other around. The sheep in particular is joyfully jumping and running in this game of tag.
Questions such as,"What exactly does play do for a young animal, or "Does play really do anything to help a young or old animal become a fitter survivor, especially considering the energy and risk that it involves?"
If animals play for enjoyment and not to enhance their survival then researchers still do not have an answer to their evolutionarily-biased question. If indeed animals play just to be silly, then Darwinism is at a loss to explain the behavior's origin. If animals have evolved by purely natural forces, then every creature's behavior and features should be purely pragmatic. In other words,fun does not fit this formula.
The answer is not easily answered, but one thing is for certain - that animals experience playtime with the same amount of enjoyment as do humans.
The video below shows a sheep playing with a dog and both are having a great time chasing each other around. The sheep in particular is joyfully jumping and running in this game of tag.
VIDEO Hopping Sheep Plays Tag with a Dog
perfect little darlings
made my night! lol!
Fun to watch.
The biological explanations of play I've heard center around it strengthening social bonds. "Survival of the fittest" is somewhat of a misnomer. I think "survival of the successful" is more accurate since it's more about those individuals that successfully live to breeding age to reproduce pass on their genes. It makes sense if you think about it.
Anon, your definition of "success" as reproducing genetically is lacking.
Lots more ways to succeed than simple reproduction. If reproducing oneself as much as possible is success, then the caged rooster who fertilizes the caged hens in megalithic egg factories would be the most successful ... you see? That is not what we are here to do ... simple reproduction defined as any type of goal/objective/raison d etre is childishly simple and untrue. just what I know ... mark